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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26933242">They Look So Pretty When They Bleed</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsAblaze/pseuds/WordsAblaze'>WordsAblaze</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumpskier [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Blood and Injury, Griffins, Hurt Jaskier | Dandelion, Injured Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Multi, Protective Eskel (The Witcher), Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Protective Lambert (The Witcher), Protective Vesemir (The Witcher), Witchersexual Jaskier | Dandelion, all of kaer morhen loves jaskier basically, no beta we die like jaskier doesn't</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:01:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,104</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26933242</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsAblaze/pseuds/WordsAblaze</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Griffins aren't usually a serious threat to Kaer Morhen but everything's more complicated when Jaskier's involved... day ten of whumptober.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eskel/Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion/Lambert, Jaskier | Dandelion/Other Witcher(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Whumpskier [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>185</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>They Look So Pretty When They Bleed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>plot who? idk her... and i couldn't choose which ship to go for so i went with all of them ??<br/>today's pairing: jaskier/wolf witchers<br/>prompts used: blood loss / trail of blood</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Where’s the bard?” Lambert asks, frowning at Geralt and Eskel as they trek back inside after training.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt stiffens immediately. “He’s not already back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would I be asking you if he was?” Lambert fires back, but his voice is laced with concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a short pause after which an almost unnaturally powerful roar echoes in the skies. “Griffin,” Geralt concludes immediately, reaching for his sword.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eskel shakes his head. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Griffins</span>
  </em>
  <span>. At least four.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others open their mouths to disagree but the sound of stones crumbling and wings flapping proves Eskel right, and all three of them exchange worried looks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stupid bard,” Lambert mutters, following that up with a string of curses as they duck inside, catching sight of huge tails.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does anyone smell him?” Eskel asks as they make their way to the central rooms, needing to pick up potions before they head back outside to solve the problem. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re met with the concerned gaze of Vesemir, a gaze that they’ve seen before but never so plainly. He hands them what they need before sighing, waiting until silence falls to actually say anything. “Find your bard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are we meant to do that?” Eskel asks, frowning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The answer hits them like a punch to the nose. Specifically because the answer comes in the form of blood and not blood from punched noses but </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jaskier’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> blood, or at least the scent of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not good,” Geralt mutters as all three of them turn to the main doors. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do not let him die,” Vesemir orders, clearly just as worried for him as everyone else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first Griffin lands in front of the doors as soon as they open them, quickly slashed down by three synchronised swords. Even as the Griffin whines, stills, and bleeds out all over their feet, they can smell Jaskier’s blood on its talons. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three left,” Lambert says eventually, his grin strained. The others don’t blame him; he and Jaskier get along like a house on fire and it’s no surprise that their youngest brother is the most fiercely angry about the potential of losing another loved one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We stick together,” Eskel decides, finally tearing his gaze away from the bloodstains on the dead Griffin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those trees.” Geralt points to their left where there are indeed trees that subtly reek of Jaskier’s blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They can’t have a nest,” Lambert says rather unconvincingly as they follow the trail, pausing when they hear wings flapping slowly, preparing to attack. It’s Eskel who yells for them to duck, all three of them narrowly avoiding losing their heads - they don’t even want to imagine what Jaskier could have lost in the short sojourn they’d lost track of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Faintly, a scream echoes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt bristles, turning on his heel, not bothering to inform the others of his plan before breaking into a sprint. He can hear another Griffin fall behind him, taken care of by Eskel and Lambert, but he tunes it out, trying to find a trace of the scream- of Jaskier’s scream again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Geralt, blood!” Eskel yells just to his right. The three of them start running as they spot more splattering of the liquid that should really still be inside their favourite bard’s veins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too much </span>
  <em>
    <span>bloody</span>
  </em>
  <span> blood,” Lambert adds bitterly, just before the scent of fear and lavender and hope and metal overwhelms them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eskel gasps as he’s knocked on his back, a Griffin settling above him with a defensive screech that might usually have been pitiful if it was its children that were being protected as opposed to their Jaskier being kept from them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt beheads it before it can do any lasting damage, Lambert frowning as he looks around. “Where is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once again, Geralt finds the splashes of blood first. “Not far. This way...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s another few minutes before they hear Jaskier and his soft whimpers. “Jaskier!” Eskel shouts as they reach a clearing in which Jaskier is curled under a tree. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of looking at them though, his gaze stays firmly ahead of him and when the witchers follow it, they curse. The last Griffin, decorated with blood, screeches at them but thankfully changes its trajectory from Jaskier to the three of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get Jaskier,” Geralt practically growls before nodding to Eskel, the two of them splitting as they approach the Griffin from either side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lambert takes the opportunity to kneel beside Jaskier, who’s clutching at his stomach as if trying to hold it together. Which, when Lambert looks closely, he more or less is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Lam,” Jaskier coughs, melting into said witcher’s arms as soon as he’s close enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lambert grits his teeth together, decidedly unhappy with the sheer amount of blood spilling out from under Jaskier’s fingers - he can’t even tell if Jaskier’s shirt was meant to be red or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hang on, songbird,” Lambert mutters, taking a moment to brush Jaskier’s hair back before scooping him up, both of them wincing as Jaskier hisses, his skin paling to an alarming shade of unhealthy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt curses as he makes his way over. “Let me, I’m faster,” he says urgently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a testament to how worried they all are that nobody even jokes about arguing, Lambert carefully handing Jaskier over before Geralt starts running again, fueled by adrenaline and fear and a desperate need to keep their bard alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Jaskier whispers but Geralt’s not sure he deserves gratitude for all this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It doesn’t help that he can literally </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> as Jaskier loses more and more blood, his breathing becoming more stressed and his grip on Geralt loosening. He passes out along the way and he’s entirely unconscious by the time Geralt gets back, calling out for Vesemir before he even registers that his armour is now soaked in two different kinds of blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, I’ve got him,” Vesemir reassures as Geralt sets Jaskier down, all but collapsing once the adrenaline starts to wear off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vesemir shoves him away as he starts his mending process, his hands steadier than all of them because he isn’t currently under the effect of any potions. Eskel and Lambert join Geralt soon after, both of them breathing heavily, questions in their eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Vesemir’s got him,” Geralt parrots, too worried to string an original sentence together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s going to be fine,” Eskel mutters, then frowns. “Gods, we’re covered in his blood.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And they are.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It should be far too much blood but they’re hanging on to the idea that Jaskier is more than most other people. More kind, more talented, more stubborn, </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> in almost every way that matters. Hopefully he can lose more blood without dying than most other people too.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm sorry if everyone's kinda ooc, i love the dynamic b/w all the witchers but i'm not that good at writing them :/<br/>also, happy world mental health day - take care of yourselves, i hope you get all the nice things you deserve &lt;3</p><p>thanks for reading! toss a kudos/comment?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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